On December 15, 2017, the 2017 Evaluation Report on the Innovation Capability of National High-tech Zone jointly prepared by the Torch High-tech Industry Development Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology and China High-tech Zone Research Center was released in Beijing. Media reporters, representatives from high-tech zones and experts studying high-tech zone policy for a long time were invited to participate in the meeting. Zhang Zhihong, director of the torch center of the Ministry of Science and Technology, attended the meeting and delivered a keynote speech entitled The Innovation-driven Development of National Hi-tech Zones in the New Era.
The evaluation report revealed that the GDP of 146+1 high-tech zones amounted to CNY 8.98 trillion, accounting for 12.1% of the national GDP, R&D expenditures amounted to CNY 554.47 billion, accounting for 35.4% of annual R&D expenditures of China, this year, 262,000 authorized patents were created and a total of 298,000 enterprises were registered. The size of the economy in national hi-tech zones and innovation-driven development draws more and more global attention. The report showed that the overall innovation capability of the national hi-tech zones continues to improve; the innovative capabilities of Zhongguancun, Zhangjiang (Shanghai), Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi’an and Hefei continue to lead the national hi-tech zones.
Zhang Zhihong (director) proposed that the national hi-tech zones in the new era should do well in the following aspects. First, we should take innovation and entrepreneurship as the starting point to cultivate and develop new economy. Second, we should speed up industrial optimization and upgrading by taking the cross-border communication as the path. Third, we should focus on expanding the space for development base on deep integration. Fourth, we should stimulate the vitality through the reform of institutional mechanisms.